Smiles Brighter than Summer
by Lady Danyrie August
Summary: Companion to "Summer" by EclipsingParadise. Natsu loses his father and gains something more.


Hey everyone, me again. I still don't own Fairy Tail.

This story is a companion to the NaWen story Summer by EclipsingParadise. Please head on over and check it out! I do want to say, though, that since we are talking about writing the recollections of what are essentially traumatised children, there WILL be differences in the stories details. THIS. IS. INTENTIONAL. If you have ever been involved in any kind of experience involving multiple people, you know that the you will almost NEVER get the same story, and that is especially true of people who experience traumatic events. Please keep that in mind.

Love you all

"DAMN IT!!"

Natsu slammed his fist into the wall. Dry powder exploded from the plasterboard, accompanied by an exasperated groan from his elderly friend, Makarov Dreyar.

The police officer standing before him waited patiently for the young man's outburst to subside.

"I'm sorry to bring you such horrible news, but as his only family you needed to be informed."

Regret tinged the brilliant blue of the officers' eyes. This was the worst part of her job. In fact, when Natsu Dragneel replied to her in a perfectly polite tone, she could barely believe his courage.

"It's fine, you're just doing your job. Thank you for telling me. Is... is Igneel still at the hospital?"

His eyes were cast to the floor at her nod. Voice laced with effort, he thanked the woman again. Only when she had closed the door behind her did he fall at last to his knees. Tears burst from his eyes and Makarov reached forward laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. Although he was in no way related to Natsu, the boy had always known him as...

"Gramps?"

Makarov's heart swelled and tears threatened to overtake his own eyes at the trembling, heart wrenching tone of Natsu's voice. Gripping more firmly, he spoke in a far quieter voice that he liked to call his "melancholy" voice.

"It's OK Natsu. Cry if you need to. No one is going to think less of you."

That was all the encouragement Natsu needed to turn and fling himself into Makarov. Loud sobs wracked the embrace as both men took solace in the closeness. They had both lost someone very special today.

When the police officer had left, the clock on the wall had ticked over to 3:32. It now read 4:06. Makarov opened his eyes and looked at the clock.

"Come on now Natsu. We need... no, you need to go to the hospital. It won't be much longer before they move the bo... Igneel... away. This might be your last chance to see him before... before the..."

The words refused to come to him. He couldn't say it out loud. His lifelong friend, the man who had brought the bundle of joy that was Natsu into his life, couldn't, couldn't be dead. His many years of wisdom told him that Natsu needed to see him, needed that closure.

He chose not to follow as Natsu rose shakily to his feet and treaded slowly out of his house.

Everything was bloody white here. So flat and sterile, it felt like something out of a dream. Natsu was in shock, and the surreally clean hospital wasn't helping. Why was he here? His father, Igneel. A mere hour and a half ago, perhaps a few minutes more, a knock had come to the door.

A young police woman had stood there, looking forlorn. Her lips blurred in his memory, he couldn't remember the exact words she had used. But he remembered enough.

Igneel. Traffic pile-up. Died in Hospital.

That was all that mattered to him. He'd cried of course, but some weird kind of momentum was keeping him going now that he had actually seen his father's... his father's corpse.

Igneel had looked awful. Huge splotches of discolouration covered his face. Half of his nose was missing. Long red hair was matted and caked with blood.

In death though, Igneel had achieved a grace, a serenity, that he had never had in life. He had been an emotional man, though never cruel or abusive. His heart was on his sleeve... literally. He'd gotten a tattoo of a heart on his arm after Natsu had told him words to that effect.

At the moment, Natsu was in shock, denial even. So instead of wallowing in his sadness, he simply took in his surroundings like a sponge.

There! A flash of deep blue against the pale green uniforms and the endless white walls. A young girl, crying.

Two nearby nurses appeared to be discussing the girl.

Then a few of their words registered and his eyes opened wide.

"...lost her mother in that horrific pile-up..."

His mind raced, his emotions springing between sadness and anger; sadness that the girl had lost a parent, anger that she'd been left alone to deal with it. He had at least somewhat chosen to see Igneel alone, and he very much doubted that she had been allowed to see her mother's body. She was too young.

Later he would tell Makarov that it was like moving through a dream. That he watched himself embrace her and comfort her. Heard himself say things to her. The only thing he really remembered saying was "Igneel was the best."

He would admit to Makarov that never had he met someone as beautiful as that girl. Wendy, she even had a beautiful name, he told the old man. Then he would remark on how it took something so tragic to find someone so beautiful, before bursting into tears again. That night was the first time he cried himself to sleep in his life. Makarov, unable to lift the boy, simply wrapped blankets around him to keep him warm.

Natsu didn't remember that conversation, but since then when he opened his eyes from sleep, for a fraction of a second, he would see blue hair and full, perfect eyes. He would blink and the angelic vision was gone.

Makarov officially offered to have Natsu stay with him after a month, an offer that was graciously accepted. A quick car trip picked up the essential things he wanted from his house.

Every now and then, the two would make another trip to get anything they decided not to take or hadn't had room for last time.

Silently, Makarov congratulated the boy on his courage, facing the world that was now so much more empty with a smile instead of a frown. He had been doing so for a few weeks now, since the smile had come back to Natsu's face.

It was summer now, and it was fitting that one who is named for summer should enjoy it.

"The neighbour is having a... visitor of sorts come around, would you mind helping move things for her? She came over while you were asleep this morning."

Natsu's grin widened, although it didn't reach his eyes quite yet. "Sure thing Gramps, nothing's keeping me down!"

His tone was slightly unsure, though.

It was then that fate decided to reward him for the courage he'd shown over the past few months.

Called out to help before he'd finished taking the first armload of stuff into the house, he stepped into the front yard to see something he had not expected to ever see again. Emotion flooded his body as memories danced, trailing delicate fingertips over his mind.

His angel, Wendy, stood staring at him, with the creepy old lady next door.

This time when he grinned, his eyes sparkled. As he ran to embrace her, a thought jumped into his mind. Life, it seems, was looking up.


End file.
